


The Red Menace

by JustAnotherMarvelGirl



Series: Our Love Is Stronger Than the Universe [10]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Injury, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Some violence I suppose, pirate!wanda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:01:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25821052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherMarvelGirl/pseuds/JustAnotherMarvelGirl
Summary: Wanda is a fierce and ruthless Captain of the Scarlet Witch, the most feared ship in the Caribbean.Vision is a Commodore of the British Royal Navy who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.When their two ships clash, will Vision live to see the light of another day?
Relationships: Wanda Maximoff/Vision
Series: Our Love Is Stronger Than the Universe [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1880671
Comments: 118
Kudos: 61
Collections: AUgust 2020, Scarlet Vision AU-gust





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for AU-gust day 10: Pirates AU

Wanda sighed as she felt the wind in her hair.

It wasn’t often that she let her hair down, flying freely around her face.

It was a sort of freedom she could indulge in only while they were out on the sea and no ships were in sight.

It was something she could only do in front of her crew, for she trusted them completely and knew that each one of them would sooner die of torture than reveal her secret.

The life of a pirate Captain could be difficult at times, but Wanda loved every little bit of it. She loved the salt, the wind, the waves and the sea. Loved the treasures they found and plundered, the wild nights in Tortuga and this beautiful ship under her command.

She ran her hands gently over the railing and grinned as she heard Hawkeye yell from the crow’s nest.

“Sail, ho!”

There was a ship on the horizon. Was it the Spanish? Her crew would kill for a couple of doubloons or pieces of eight. Rival pirates? That would be just as well. She needed to keep her reputation intact and live up to her name.

“Ah,” she smirked once Hawkeye was able to recognize the sails.

The British Royal Navy.

Wanda cast a quick look through her spyglass and onto the slowly approaching ship.

“Battle stations!” she yelled, wrapping her hair back in a bun and putting her Captain’s hat over it. “Let’s try to lose them for now, keep ‘er at full sail!”

Wanda turned to her Quartermaster and saw a dangerous twinkle in his eyes.

“I take it you’d prefer it if they somehow managed to overhaul us?”

It was highly unlikely. The _Scarlet Witch_ was a mighty ship, built for both speed and battle, and probably faster than the third-rate ship she had seen through the spyglass.

“Aye, Captain,” Thor grinned. “I say we send ‘em to the Davy Jones’ Locker.”

Wanda chuckled and closed her eyes.

“There’s an island around four leagues ahead. We can ambush them there, but I wanna lead them on a chase first,” she said, and Thor laughed, his large hand clapping her on the back.

“Aye, aye! That’s my Captain. It will be a merry chase,” he assured her before heading towards his position.

Wanda herself headed for the helm to relieve her Sailing Master. He was a competent man, but there’s no one she trusted more when it came to sailing her ship during a chase than herself.

She knew why Thor was so eager to destroy the Navy ship. She was as well. They had all lost someone because of them, and each new ship was a chance for revenge.

Wanda wrapped her fingers around the ship’s wheel and smiled, inhaling the salty air surrounding her.

This was where she belonged.

She looked around her and felt herself become filled with energy by the excited bustle of people around her as they prepared for what she loved the most about her life as a Captain: outrunning, outsmarting or sinking those bastards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crow's nest - A small platform near the top of a mast, where a lookout watches for sails or land  
> Doubloons, pieces of eight - Spanish gold coins  
> Quartermaster - Captain's right hand, also in charge of discipline  
> Davy Jones' Locker - The bottom of the sea  
> League - A unit of distance equal to three miles  
> Helm - The ship's wheel and the entire steering apparatus


	2. Chapter 2

“Commodore Shade, there’s a ship on the horizon!”

Victor raised his gaze from the document that had been occupying his attention for the past two hours.

“Is it one of ours?” he asked the young sailor who brought him the news.

They had ventured pretty far from their usual patrol routes, but there was still a possibility that another ship from the fleet had ended up in these parts.

“It is too early to tell, sir, but the barrelman swears he saw a flash of red,” the sailor said.

That bit of information piqued Victor's interest. Could it truly be the most infamous ship of the Seven Seas?

“Very well. Keep me informed,” he commanded, trying to keep his voice emotionless.

Once the young man was out of his cabin, Victor did his best to focus on the document in front of him but found it impossible to concentrate.

All he could think about was the ship that might or might not be ahead.

After a while, he gave up and left his cabin.

His men were almost boiling over with excitement, and Victor couldn’t help but find the atmosphere a bit contagious.

“Commodore, it’s the _Scarlet Witch_!”

Victor felt his heart skip a beat at the confirmation.

He took out his spyglass and looked at the ship in question.

His breath caught in his throat at the sight.

She was as terrifying as the stories made her out to be, but none of them seemed to capture just how beautiful she also was.

Victor couldn’t help but admire the wonderful contrast of the black hull interlaced with streaks of bright red.

It was bold.

It was presumptuous.

Her crew didn’t care about being stealthy and unseen. They taunted their enemies, including the Royal Navy, with their presence.

It was probably because they knew that none who dared to challenge them would live to tell the tale.

“Are we going after them, sir?” his first officer asked, breaking him out of his reverie.

Could their ship stand a chance against the infamous _Scarlet Witch_?

Victor glanced at his men, who all looked up at him expectantly.

He knew that, despite his misgivings, he had no choice. It was their duty to catch a known criminal when they crossed paths with him, and there was none more notorious than the captain of the ship before them.

No one knew his name, but he was often referred to as the Red Menace. A name well deserved, if you asked Victor.

The bounty on his head was more than double the amount it was for any other pirate captain, and the gleam in the eyes of most of his crewmen let Victor know they were all well aware of it. They were all hoping for a promotion, or a cut of the prize, which was why Victor knew that if he decided not to pursue the ship, he might have a mutiny on his hands, not to mention the repercussions once he got back to port.

With a sinking feeling in his gut, Victor nodded.

“It is our duty,” he proclaimed solemnly, a proclamation that was met with cheers, before he started barking out orders.

As a Commodore of the Royal Navy, Victor knew the capabilities of his ship, as well as the capabilities of the ship they were chasing. Well, as much as could be known about the capabilities of a ship that basically had the status of a legend.

He was aware that a lot of the eyewitness accounts were embellished and exaggerated, but he had still expected the legendary _Scarlet Witch_ to be faster than she was. Was she damaged? How could they be gaining on her so fast?

The uncomfortable sensation in the pit of his stomach intensified the closer they got to her. They were still out of range when she disappeared from view behind an island and realization suddenly dawned on him.

“Wait!” he shouted, but their ship was too heavy to stop right away and it was already too late.

It was impossible to tell how long it all lasted, but his world suddenly transformed into a nightmare. He was surrounded by the deafening sounds of cannons and gunfire, with the splinters and the parts of his beloved ship flying all around him.

In what seemed like no time at all, his ship was gone, and Victor found himself clinging desperately to a piece of wreckage.

He turned, trying to see if there were any other survivors, when a voice suddenly froze him in place.

“There’s one alive!” someone on the pirate ship shouted, and Victor felt chills that had nothing to do with the cold sea around him.

He knew the crew of the _Scarlet Witch_ left no survivors.

He shouldn’t have moved, but it was too late.

His fears were confirmed when a burly man, probably the Red Menace himself, smiled wickedly and said: “Dead men tell no tales.”

Victor knew he was doomed, that the pirates knew no mercy, but he still wouldn’t give up without trying.

He couldn’t swim, none of his crew could, because it was the most effective way to ensure the sailors fought to save the ship until there was nothing left to save. It meant he would surely die if they left him here, so he did the one thing he could think of before his strength left him.

“P-parley,” he shouted, voice breaking from exhaustion of trying to hold on to the small plank.

He must have swallowed enough salt water to cause hallucinations, because just before the small piece of wood finally slipped out of his grasp, Victor could have sworn he heard a melodious giggle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Barrelman - The lookout in the crow's nest  
> Hull - The body of the ship  
> Parley - Request for negotiations with the Captain


	3. Chapter 3

_Parley?_

_Parley?!_

Wanda couldn’t believe her ears. She was so shocked that not even her palm could stop the laughter from leaving her lips.

What did the fancy little princeling know about parley? Or their Code for that matter?

Thor seemed to be as amused as she was, at least if his raised eyebrows were anything to go by.

Wanda nodded, a grin on her face.

The boy did manage to make her laugh, she might as well hear what he had to say.

At her nod, one of her crewmen jumped in and dragged the man to the safety of her ship.

Wanda rolled her eyes. It seemed like none of those bastards could swim. What were those landlubbers doing on ships anyway? They clearly belonged on the land.

Her, on the other hand, she was right where she belonged. She couldn’t imagine her life without the sea.

Wanda watched as the man was finally raised to the deck, coughing and spluttering water all along.

As he was half supported, half dragged by two of her crewmen, Wanda caught a glimpse of his eyes.

She sucked in a quick breath through her teeth before turning around and walking towards Thor.

Her crew already knew what to do with the prisoner, they didn’t need her instructions.

“Do you think there’s anything useful that can be salvaged?” she asked her Quartermaster, nodding towards the wreckage.

“Aye, there should be some spoils, but there’s not much time. The ship and everything on it will soon reach the Davy Jones’ Locker.”

“Well, we better hurry then,” Wanda replied, smirking.

“Aye, Captain,” Thor replied, and they quickly instructed the crew to get anything useful. Their best divers were already in the sea, gathering any items that might have started to sink already, but there was still something for most of the pirates to do.

Thor wasn’t even trying to hide his good mood as they supervised the division of the loot that was brought on board. He had a bright grin on his face, and Wanda couldn’t help but laugh.

He was always happy after a battle, they all were with all the adrenaline coursing through their veins, but the fights with the British were special.

They made her heart beat even faster and revenge taste even sweeter.

She knew that Thor shared her sentiments, her crew had more reason than most to hate them. She didn’t believe she would ever feel like her brother had been sufficiently avenged, but she would keep at it or die trying.

“Was this what you wanted?” she asked teasingly, before chuckling again at the look on his face.

Thor joined in her laughter, shaking his head in amusement. “’Twas a jolly battle, but short. I almost wish for a challenge sometimes, but I know these weaklings can’t give it to us.”

“Hmm, no one can,” Wanda hummed, the pride clear on her face. She couldn’t help but run her hand lovingly across the mast.

Her ship was as strong as it was beautiful, and Wanda allowed herself to close her eyes and enjoy the feeling of the hard wood under her fingertips. Some might claim that ships were just tools, something to be commanded and not loved, but none who valued their lives would dare say such a thing in front of her.

The _Scarlet Witch_ had a soul and Wanda would never let anything happen to her.

“What about the prisoner, Captain?” Thor asked after a while, voice more serious now.

Wanda sighed, opening her eyes.

While saving him had seemed like a fun idea at the time, she knew it was very impractical. Still, she had accepted his request for parley so she was going to hear what he had to say.

“I’m sure that will be an interesting chat, I wonder what he thinks he can offer us,” she chuckled, shaking her head. “I know you’ll have fun intimidating him, but we both know his options are very limited.”

“Aye, Captain, I will keep you informed,” Thor replied, turning to leave below deck. Wanda spent a few moments watching his retreating back, before turning around as well and heading in the opposite direction.

Since there was nothing more that demanded her attention, she decided to retire to her quarters. It was only once she was alone that she allowed herself to acknowledge the fact that her unhelpful brain had decided to notice.

The man's eyes were the color of her one true love, the sea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Landlubber - A person unfamiliar with the sea or seamanship


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be some descriptions of potential ways to die and mentions of past character death in this chapter.
> 
> Proceed with caution

Thor walked below deck with a purposeful stride. He could already tell this was going to be fun.

He stayed in the shadows, simply observing their prisoner after reaching the cells. He had been searched for weapons and stripped of his uniform, dressed in some rags they found, but Thor still wouldn’t enter the cell with him. There was no need for unnecessary risks, and they could speak just as well through the bars in between them.

He stepped out of the shadows and grinned at the startled and fearful look on the man’s face.

“Y-you must be the Red Menace,” he stuttered, and Thor grinned.

He was used to people assuming he was the Captain, and it often came in handy. Their enemies were focused on him, while the real threat came from where they least expected it.

Thor supposed that was the reason she kept her identity a secret, she loved the air of mystery that surrounded her, and she often said that nothing could beat the surprise and shock in their enemies’ eyes when they figured out who she was just before they died.

Despite it happening many times before, Thor barely suppressed a scoff as he watched the man in front of him.

Unlike the other pirates they came across, the officers of the British and Spanish royal navies couldn’t fathom the fact that such a fierce Captain as the Red Menace could be a woman. It never even crossed their minds!

But Thor knew better than most what a capable leader a woman could be. After all, his mother still captained the _Valkyrie_. He fought the urge to smile wistfully as he thought of his mother and her crew. “The Amazonians of the sea…” they were called, their ship's name whispered with both fear and curiosity. He would have to suggest to Wanda that they meet up with them soon, it had been a while since they last saw each other.

Still, the thought of the _Valkyrie_ also reminded him of why he hated the man in front of him, of why they had left in the first place.

While the crew of the _Valkyrie_ consisted mostly of women, there was also place on board for their sons. It was where he and his brother grew up, alongside Wanda and Pietro. It was a good childhood, cut too short during one fateful careening of their ship. They had to remain on land for a while to clean the bottom of the ship from mollusks and barnacles, and, despite warnings to stay near the ship, Loki and Pietro snuck out to a nearby town. 

They were only fifteen, mere boys, but they were captured by the British and hanged as pirates before anyone could save them. The grief and the desire for revenge made Wanda, him and a couple of others leave the _Valkyrie_ and make their own path. They couldn’t bear continuing to live on a ship where everything constantly reminded them of what they’d lost.

Wanda was twenty by the time they managed to get their own ship, but, despite her youth, she had a brilliant mind. There was never any doubt in anybody’s mind about who should be the new Captain.

Still, Thor looked the part, with his long hair, beard and a patch above his eye, so he was her public face on the rare occasions such as this one when it was needed.

Thor watched as the man squirmed due to his prolonged silence.

Good.

As he should.

He deliberately chose to neither confirm nor deny the man’s claims as he barked out: “you wanted to talk. Now talk.”

“W-well…” the man started, clearly unsure of what to say to save his life. It’s not like there was much he could.

“I would like to negotiate the terms of my surrender and eventual release,” he stated with as much confidence as he could muster.

“Release?!” Thor roared with laughter. “We don’t normally do ransom, but you aren’t by any chance an heir to the British throne, are you?”

The prisoner shook his head hesitantly. “I am, however, a Commodore of the British Royal Navy. I’m sure you could get something for my freedom.”

“We do _not_ negotiate with them and never will. Which means there’s nothing you could possibly offer us. The only thing you get to choose is how you wish to die.”

The man’s face became as white as a sheet and Thor smiled a menacing smile before bringing a finger to his lips.

“Let me just think about your options. You can choose the keelhaul, you know, the classic. We drag you under the ship until the barnacles tear you to pieces or you drown, I believe you guys are fond of this method as well,” he started, delighting in the way sweat was now running down the man’s brow.

“I know you can’t swim, so you can walk the plank instead. I’m sure the fish and the sharks around here need feeding. Not that they would get much food from a scrawny bilge rat like you,” Thor stated, looking him up and down. He seemed even skinnier out of his uniform than he did while it was wet and clinging to his skin.

Thor suddenly got an idea and grinned as he thought about his toy. “Perhaps I’ll try out my Cat O’Nine Tails on you before I kill you… We have a good crew here, so there’s rarely any need for me to use it. Have you ever whipped someone, boy? Your uniform is fancy, I don’t suppose you have been whipped yourself, but there’s a first time for everything.”

The man didn’t answer his question, but it didn’t matter anyway. Thor wasn’t done listing his choices.

“Or I could cleave you to the brisket… Cut you up real nice from here,” he started, dragging a finger from his shoulder to his stomach, “to here. Might get a bit messy though,” he added thoughtfully.

His eyes darkened as he offered the prisoner his final choice.

“Finally, we could hang you from the yardarm, the most fitting in my humble opinion. It’s what you lot do to my people, make us dance the hempen jig, it’s only fair we did the same to you,” he spat out, not even trying to hide his hatred.

The man in front of him was one of them, he deserved to hang.

“So, what will be your choice?” he asked, his mood changing once again from amused to vengeful as he thought about his brother’s fate.

“Before I decide, may I ask a question,” the man asked, voice weak.

Thor nodded, shrugging his shoulders.

“Are mermaids real?”

Thor frowned in confusion. What was the man playing at?

“Excuse me?”

“Are they real? Before you took me on board, I heard one laughing. I would have followed that voice to the bottom of the ocean. If they’re real, could you leave me back on that island so I could find her again?”

Thor laughed, shaking his head.

A mermaid!

He was well aware that the only woman who laughed then was Wanda, but he wasn’t about to tell him that.

“Marooning someone on an island is a punishment we offer only to the members of our crew. When you are left on an uninhabited island, there is still a chance for you to survive. You are not a pirate. You do not deserve that chance.”

“B-but the mermaids are said to kill people by dragging them into the depths of the sea, I would die anyw-“

“I will hear no more of this!” Thor interrupted him. “Even if there were such things as mermaids, there is no guarantee you would follow them. You may choose only between the fates offered to you, you have three hours,” he insisted before turning around and leaving the cell.

He entered the Captain's quarters and slumped down on an armchair. As fun as intimidating the little rich boy had been, it was also emotionally exhausting to actively think about Loki's fate.

Wanda wordlessly handed him a glass filled with rum, a fancy crystal thing, probably part of today’s loot.

“I’ve offered him keelhaul, walking the plank, cutting him up or hanging,” he reported. “He asked if he could be marooned on the island where we defeated him, said he wanted to find the mermaid who laughed before he fainted,” Thor chuckled.

Wanda’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Merm… oh!” she exclaimed as realization dawned on her face and she started laughing as well.

“Anyway, I gave him three hours to decide, I might go take a nap before that,” he said, getting up with his drink in hand.

“Thor, wait!” he heard her say, just as he was about to leave. “Give him the choice to join,” she added quietly.

Thor couldn’t believe his ears. What was she saying?

“You’d give him an opportunity to become one of us? _Him_? One of the men who killed your brother? _My_ brother?”

His head was suddenly pounding, and he closed his eyes, willing this to be some kind of a sick joke.

“I can’t explain it, Thor… I’ve followed my instinct my whole life, it’s what has gotten us this far, and now my gut is telling me to keep him alive. Besides, we have no proof that he personally had anything to do with their deaths-“

“Like that had ever mattered before! They’re all the same, they all deserve to rot,” Thor yelled, holding his glass so tight it shattered into pieces.

He muttered a curse under his breath as he felt a small piece lodge itself in his palm.

“I know they are, but everything inside me is telling me he’s not. Just… trust me on this one, please?” she asked, voice weary.

Thor took a deep breath and looked at her.

She looked exhausted, like she was barely holding herself together, and it was clear that this wasn’t a decision she had made lightly.

He sighed, running his hand through his hair.

While any member of the crew could challenge her decisions, he was the only one who could veto them. Still, actually using that right would have unforeseeable consequences not only on the ship and the crew, but also on his relationship with her. He had known her since she was a baby, stood by her side for as long as he could remember, and yet if he publicly vetoed her decision, he knew everything would change. One of them would have to leave afterwards.

“You’ve led us this far. I trust you,” he finally conceded, watching as a weak little smile appeared on her face.

“Thank you,” she replied gently. “Besides, if it turns out to be a wrong decision, we can always toss him to the sharks afterwards.”

Thor laughed, shaking his head before turning serious again.

“Aye, Captain. What would you have me tell him now? Or are you going to notify him?”

She was silent for a moment before looking up at him.

“Well, I’m not planning to just feed him and hold him in the cell. He should earn his meals and his place here. I don’t trust him with anything important, he’ll be scrubbing the decks and the pans, but he will have constant supervision during the first few weeks. We will see if he can trust him enough to leave him unsupervised afterwards.”

Thor nodded. They might have taken away his uniform, but he was still an officer of the Royal Navy. He would never earn his trust, but Thor was sure there were many on the ship who would trade a more demanding shift for babysitting a prisoner.

Wanda smiled at him and continued.

“You will be the one to offer him the choice, since I don’t want him to know who I am yet. But you should wait. I’m planning to see him first and test my instincts. Perhaps talking to him will convince me my gut was wrong and we can kill him right away,” she chuckled, making Thor smirk in response.

“Let’s hope it does,” he laughed. “Is there anything you need before you go see him?”

There was a mischievous glint in her eyes before she nodded.

“There is. This is going to be so much fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Careen - To take a ship into shallower waters or out of the water altogether to clean the bottom of the ship  
> Cat O’Nine Tails - A whip with nine lashes used for flogging  
> Yardarm - The main arm across the mast which holds up the sail  
> Dance the hempen jig - To hang


	5. Chapter 5

Victor leaned his head on the bulkhead behind him and wrapped his arms around himself. There were no portholes in his line of sight, but by the cold seeping in through the bulkhead and the wooden deck he was sitting on, he assumed the sun had already set.

He closed his eyes, rubbing his arms to keep the cold out. He wished he at least had his uniform on him to keep him warm, but he knew it wouldn’t make much of a difference anyway. He was living on borrowed time.

Victor groaned and laid his head on his knees. What had he been thinking? How could he have ever believed he could negotiate with pirates, let alone the most notorious of them all? All he had managed to do was prolong his own suffering.

His thoughts wandered automatically to that beautiful laughter. If he had heard it just a second before, he might not have tried to parley. He might have let the sea, and _her_ , take him.

Still, there was no changing the past. He had to come to terms with the fact that he had less than three hours to live.

Victor unwillingly thought about the man who had ordered him to choose his own death.

In a way, he was just like he had imagined him to be. Muscly, burly, and with an eye patch over his right eye. Not to mention merciless. He had to admit he was expecting the Captain to be ginger, but it was now obvious he had gotten that nickname purely because of all the blood left in his wake.

Blood that would soon be joined by his.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the commotion up ahead. He frowned. It hadn’t been three hours already, had it?

Victor looked up to see a girl being dragged towards him by a man and another woman. She was dressed in some rags, her red hair tangled, but none of it could hide her beauty.

He got up and headed towards the cell door when the woman who was bringing the new prisoner barked at him to stay back.

The cell door opened and the girl was thrown in with him. Victor instinctively flew towards her, catching her in his arms.

“Are you alright?” he asked, quickly looking her over for any injuries.

She nodded weakly, looking up at him with wide eyes.

Who was she and what was she doing here? It seemed like she was a prisoner on the ship too and Victor barely suppressed a shudder as he thought of her being offered the same choices as he had been.

“One hour of cell time for ya, lassie,” the man who brought her yelled, before he and the woman who accompanied him turned around and left them alone.

“You’re sure you aren’t injured?” Victor insisted again, but she just smiled and shook her head.

“No, I didn’t do anything that would warrant a corporeal punishment,” she assured him, and it only then occurred to him that she was also a pirate.

“Oh… That’s… that’s good,” he replied, suddenly aware that there was no need for him to hold her anymore. He removed his hands from her arms and cleared his throat, hoping that his cheeks were only burning up on the inside.

“I’m Wanda, by the way,” she said with a small smile, and Victor couldn’t help but smile back. She had a lovely voice, with an accent he couldn’t quite place,

“Victor,” he replied, “although I don’t suppose it matters much.”

“Why would you say that,” Wanda asked, looking up at him curiously.

“Well, considering I will soon cease to exist, it doesn’t make much sense for you to get to know me,” he said, trying to keep his voice neutral.

“Oh,” she whispered, casting her eyes downwards. After a few moments she looked up at him again.

“And if you had more time, what would you do?”

Victor shut his eyes. No. He wouldn’t think about that. He had accepted his fate and considering other possibilities now would be too painful.

“I’m afraid I can’t answer that. I _don’t_ have more time, that is a cold hard fact, and if you were in my position, I’m sure you’d understand why the ‘what ifs’ might be harmful,” he explained.

“Oh, of course,” she replied. “I didn’t mean to make your situation worse than it already is, I’m sorry.”

Her voice was soft, melodious, and Victor felt as though it was enveloping him in a calming cocoon. He was sorry she had ended up in a prison cell, and yet he couldn’t help but be grateful for the fact that he had someone to keep him company during his last moments on Earth.

“It’s alright,” he assured her, smiling weakly. “I was always aware that my time as an officer of the British Royal Navy might be cut short in this way, it had just never seemed so real. Or so final…”

“Maybe it doesn’t have to be,” Wanda said suddenly, perking up.

“What do you mean?” Victor asked in confusion. The Captain had made it quite clear what his fate was going to be.

“Well, the Captain has been known to offer some prisoners a choice to join our crew instead of dying,” she explained.

Victor shook his head, the hope leaving him as soon as it appeared.

“That will not happen. He hates me…”

“If I were to put in a good word for you, would you accept the offer?” she asked, looking at him expectantly.

Victor thought about it for a moment.

 _Would_ he accept such an offer?

It would mean sacrificing his honor, at least until he figured out a way to escape, but it would also mean he would get to live to see another day.

“I am… uncertain. But this is all hypothetical. Would he even listen to you?” he finally spoke. She was locked up with him after all, she probably wasn’t in the Captain’s best graces at the moment.

“The Captain is… my brother,” she replied after a few moments, averting her eyes.

Victor felt his jaw drop a little at the new information and forced his mouth to close. His brain worked frantically to find any similarities between the lithe redhead woman in front of him and the burly blonde man that had threatened him earlier. He couldn’t find any.

“The Captain would punish even his own sister?” he asked incredulously. “He truly deserves the name…”

Her face suddenly became unreadable as she replied. “None of us is above punishment here. Not even the Captain if the crew loses faith in him. But we also have rights, rights that you could have as well if you gained the Captain’s trust. Just think about it, alright?”

Victor nodded, at a loss as to what to say.

He doubted it even mattered, that man would never offer him a chance to join him. Still, if she did manage to convince him somehow, Victor knew he had a tough choice ahead of him, harder than any he had ever made.

Die honorably or live as a pirate?

Victor’s gaze fell on the woman in front of him and he wondered what drew _her_ to make it. What could she possible see in that sort of life?

“Was that the choice _you_ were offered,” he asked gently. Perhaps she was forced to live like this as well.

She smirked slightly and shook her head.

“No. This life is all I’ve ever known. I was born on a ship, grew up on a ship and now I’m lea-“ she coughed slightly before continuing, “living on a ship.”

“Ah,” Victor replied, looking at her curiously. “And you’ve never wondered what else is out there, what your life might be like if you had abided by the law?”

“Oh, I know exactly what my life would have been like,” she replied, voice suddenly turning bitter. “It would have been torture. If I had been born poor, I’d have been a servant, or forced to sell my body to get some food in my mouth. If I had been born noble, I’d have been married off to some rich man and my only purpose in this life would be to please him. No chance of adventures, of freedom… You see, Victor, I am grateful every day that I was born a pirate, and if that bothers you, you can go sit in your own corner of the cell until my hour is up.”

Victor listened in wonder as she spoke with so much passion, her eyes shining, and for a moment he wanted to feel free as well. Free of the bounds of his society, free of the expectations of his father, free of everything weighing him down. Well, he supposed he _would_ be free of everything soon, but he wanted to _live_ freely as well. Still, he remembered what his uniform represented despite the fact it was taken away from him, and he knew freedom from that was impossible.

“It does not bother me,” he replied slowly.

It was the truth, even though it confused him. He should hate her and everything she represented, the pirates were the bane of a navy officer’s existence, but he couldn’t bring himself to hate the woman in front of him. He supposed a part of the reason was because he knew she was telling the truth. He wished he could claim she was wrong, that her life wouldn’t be as she had described, but he knew he couldn’t.

“It doesn’t?” she asked, creasing her brows in confusion.

“No. Besides, I’ve only got a short time left to live, it would be foolish of me to alienate the one person willing to talk to me in my final moments,” he explained with a soft smile.

“Oh, I can be _very_ persuasive,” she said with a voice that sent his heart for a loop and his blood rushing downwards. “These will not be your final moments unless you want them to be. I’d be happy to keep you company again, I’d just prefer it if it wasn’t in a cell again,” she added, crinkling her nose in displeasure, and Victor couldn’t stop the laughter that escaped him at how cute she looked.

He stopped himself as soon as he caught the train of his thoughts.

No.

He couldn’t think about her like that.

She was a pirate, and even if he ended up getting the choice and accepting it, his life on the ship wouldn’t last long. He couldn’t afford to catch feelings for her or connect with any of them, because one way or another, their time together was limited. Not to mention they all represented a danger to everything he and his uniform stood for.

Still, he found himself unable not to get drawn in by her. When she asked about his reasons for joining the Navy, he heard himself describing his father, the fleet admiral, and how a career in the fleet was always expected of him.

Wanda shook her head.

“Of course. That’s why you can’t swim, why the sea is not your friend but your enemy. You didn’t join for your love for the sea, the sea never called to you. You joined because you had to. How would joining this crew be any different?” she asked.

Victor opened his mouth but the words wouldn’t come out. He wasn’t sure what to say anyway. A sense of duty? A radically different set of values?

He had never looked at it from that perspective, but surely it was different. It had to be. That was his father, after all, and he wasn’t forced with a sword to his throat, even though his father had made it quite clear through veiled threats that he would disown him if he chose to study the sciences instead, his true area of interest.

“It just would be,” he insisted, crossing his arms.

He could see her bite her lip to stop from laughing before shaking her head.

“You remind me of my brother when he was a little boy. He insisted he was right even though he knew he was wrong,” she said fondly.

Victor fought the urge to scoff. He was nothing like that man.

Still, he wouldn’t dream of offending her, not when she seemed to be the only person on this damn ship determined to keep him alive.

So he encouraged her to talk more about her childhood, intrigued by the way her green eyes seemed to glisten with both happiness and something else. Her voice seemed almost wistful when she talked about her brother, as if she missed him, and perhaps she did. The carefree and mischievous boy she was describing was nothing like the hardened man that had threatened him, and Victor felt a pang of empathy for everything that must have happened to turn him into the man he was today.

Before he knew it, the hour was up, and as she got up to leave the cell, Wanda turned and whispered: “I’ll see you tomorrow,” over her shoulder.

Victor couldn’t help but smile, with a soft “perhaps” leaving his lips.

A part of him wanted to accept just to see her again, duty and honor be damned.

The rest of his time in the cell passed agonizingly slowly as he thought over his options, his previous calm and acceptance of death shaken.

He was startled by heavy footsteps coming towards him and recognized the Red Menace. He got up and swallowed slowly, waiting for the man to speak.

“I’ve come to hear your choice,” the Captain said, his face hard as ever, and Victor felt his heart sink. Wanda had failed. The Red Menace’s heart was so cold that not even the pleas of his own sister could warm it.

Very well then. The least he could do now was go with dignity. Besides, perhaps his mermaid would find him somehow. He refused to dwell on the fact that the mermaid now had Wanda’s face in his mind.

“I choose the plank,” he replied, voice certain.

Victor watched in confusion as the expression on the Captain’s face changed.

“You chose,” the man said, seemingly impressed if his raised eyebrow was anything to go by. “Most of the time people just try and beg for their lives instead. You now have two choices. You may proceed with your chosen fate, or you may become a part of this crew. You would have constant supervision, and your duties wouldn’t be easy, but you’d live. I will not give you another three hours to make this choice, however. You need to make it now.”

Victor almost couldn’t believe his ears. She did it after all. She planted a bug in the Captain’s ear and he now had a chance of survival.

He had done plenty of thinking about this after she had left, he didn’t need any more.

“I will join,” he replied, hoping his voice didn’t betray his true thoughts.

Yes, he would play along, for now, but the moment an opportunity presented itself, he would be out of there for good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys have no idea how difficult it was to write Victor every time, I caught myself writing "Vision" countless times. He'll thankfully become Vision soon lol
> 
> Bulkhead - A wall within the hull of a ship  
> Porthole - A circular window on a ship


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been forever lol, but better late than never! :D

“How has he behaved so far? Any issues?” Wanda asked, pouring Thor some more rum.

They were in her cabin for their weekly dinner, and while she had managed to avoid their prisoner for the past week, despite her remark she’d see him the next day, curiosity was finally getting the best of her.

“He’s weak. Scrawny. Definitely not pirate material, but he does as he’s told. The scallywag gave me no reason to punish him yet,” her Quartermaster admitted and Wanda chuckled at how disappointed he sounded.

“I see,” she smiled, taking a bite from her plate. “I will watch him for two hours tomorrow, you can give whoever was supposed to do it the time off.”

“Captain?” Thor asked, frowning. “You do not have to concern yourself with the likes of him. Our crew is more than capable of keeping him in line.”

“I know. But he doesn’t see me as a threat, which means it will be easier for him to slip up in case he’s planning something,” she explained.

Thor hummed in thought before nodding.

“Aye Captain. That seems like a fair idea. I reckon you'll need the disguise then?” he asked, already getting up to get it before Wanda signaled for him to sit back down.

“That can wait for the morrow. The bottle isn’t even half empty,” she gestured with her head, chuckling.

Thor grinned, raising his tankard.

“Well, we ought to correct that. There shall be no stopping until we’re loaded to the gunwales!” he exclaimed, and Wanda laughed, raising her own drink to that.

It was a decision she almost regretted in the morning, almost, but she could hold her liquor as well as any member of her crew.

She let her hair down and dressed in one of the outfits Thor had provided her with. While she usually did her best to hide her feminine attributes, the shirt and pants she chose accentuated them. There was no harm in distracting their prisoner, plus, that kind of a casual outfit decreased the risk of him realizing who she really was.

Despite not believing him dangerous, Wanda never went anywhere unprepared. Even while being “locked up” with him, she had had a dagger hidden in her garter, and she now carefully tucked one in each of her boots as well.

She found him easily, holystoning the deck as was his duty, and she smirked when he looked up and noticed her, dropping the sandstone in his surprise.

“Wanda!” he exclaimed, wiping his forehead and sitting up on his haunches.

“Victor,” she responded, crinkling her nose at the sound. It didn’t suit him at all.

In fact, she was about to change it.

“You know, Victor was your Navy name. I think you need a pirate name now,” she stated, raising her eyebrow in challenge.

“Y-you… you do?” he stammered, and Wanda could have sworn his eyes flittered over the curves of her hips. The little lordling probably rarely saw a woman outside of a dress.

“Yes. Do you have any wishes?” she asked, and Victor shook his head, prompting her to continue. “In that case, I think Vision would suit you.”

With his blue eyes and blonde hair, he truly was a vision to look at, although Wanda would never admit it to him. Instead, she leaned against the wooden gunwale behind her and waited for his reply.

“I… I suppose Vision is alright,” he admitted with a slight smile.

Wanda returned it, before remembering the reason she was there in the first place.

“It’s my turn to babysit you, Vision,” she said, her smile widening when he suddenly remembered what he was supposed to be doing and continued scrubbing the deck.

“Oh! R-right,” he stuttered, truly putting his back into it, and Wanda hummed. He was obedient, at least. Her little chat with him in the cell had convinced her she had made the right decision in offering him the choice to join them, but the crew, including herself, was still a long way from trusting him.

As if reading her mind, Vision looked up again.

“I… I’m glad to see you again. I wanted to thank you right away for convincing the Captain to spare my life, but my movement is quite restricted and, well, I wouldn’t know where to find you anyway,” he admitted.

Wanda couldn’t help a slight smile spreading on her face.

“I think you deserve a chance,” she said, before pushing herself off the gunwale and stepping in front of him, the fact that he was sprawled on the floor an added effect to her intimidating stance, “but if you betray us…”

She left the threat hanging in the air, Thor had already been quite vivid in his descriptions, but he still gulped and nodded slowly, eyes trained on hers.

He looked so pretty on his knees before her, and Wanda had to fight off the desire to have him kneel in front of her for an entirely different reason.

No.

That would never happen.

She forced her mind away from such thoughts, there was no point in dwelling on the impossible.

“Good. As long as that’s understood, we should have no problems,” she stated, turning to gaze at the sea instead. It was calm, eerily calm, and Wanda would have known there was a storm brewing on the horizon even without the stifling air around them.

She sent a quick nod to Thor, who started the preparations the moment he saw it, before turning back towards Vision.

“So, Vision, how have you been treated so far,” she asked, nails biting into her palms as she tried to ground herself in her role. She was itching to be with her crew, make sure her beloved ship would weather the storm without a single scratch on the hull, but she knew Thor was more than capable of taking care of that.

“Alright, I suppose,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders. “You’re actually the first person to talk to me. Everyone else mostly tells me what to do and sends me death glares, but there have been no incidents so far.”

Wanda nodded.

Her crew might not trust him, but they’d never go against her orders and harm him without a valid reason.

“As long as you follow orders, there won’t be any,” she assured him with a small smile.

A shadow passed over his face, gone as soon as it appeared, but Wanda was sure of what she saw.

She frowned.

She would definitely need to keep a close eye on him.

They were both silent as he went back to work, scrubbing the deck with fervor, but after a while Wanda spoke again.

“You were the Captain of that ship, weren’t you?”

Vision froze in his tracks, eyes trained on the floor, before he slowly raised them to meet her face.

“I was. I was a Commodore, with high chances of advancement” he murmured, staring off into the distance.

Wanda couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“I’ll never understand you and your silly ranks,” she scoffed.

“Well, pirates have ranks as well, don’t they?” he defended. “Ours are just on a much larger scale.”

“We do, but I would never let anyone who isn’t even _on_ my ship tell me what to do,” she stated, her brows creasing.

The life of a pirate was a life of freedom, and those pirates who accepted letters of marque and became mere tools of the crown didn’t deserve to be called that at all.

Vision hummed in thought before crawling towards another stretch of the deck, leaving a shining trail of seawater behind.

“I suppose I was not bothered by it because it was what I was used to, what I’ve known since I was a child. Well, at least until my life got turned upside down,” he chuckled without much real humor in his voice. He shook his head and Wanda couldn’t stop a small smirk from gracing her face.

It truly was a big change. He was thrust from a leadership position into the lowest role possible, surrounded by his enemies, but he seemed to be doing alright so far.

“You will get used to it with time,” she assured him, smiling when he laughed.

“I don’t believe I will ever get used to the food. The bread here is as hard as a stone,” he complained, shaking his head.

“Oh, the sea biscuit?” she asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement. “Hardtack? It has to be that way in order to not spoil on our long voyages. We don’t have the luxury of docking often to restock. But it’s edible once you break it up and soak it in water.”

“Oh,” Vision mumbled, “that… that makes sense. There aren’t many safe havens for your kind, but no one… no one has bothered to tell me that, they just throw it at me at mealtime.”

Wanda laughed, unable to keep the sound in as she thought of his confused face the first time it happened.

“Well, you know now,” she told him, but got a feeling he wasn’t really hearing her. He was looking up at her, eyes wide, and she could have sworn she heard him say something along the lines of having found his mermaid.

She grinned, remembering Thor's story, before giggling again.

“Everything alright there, Vision?” she asked, and was met with his slow nod, the bewildered expression still not leaving his face.

“Y-yes, yes of course!” he exclaimed, as if he was finally brought back to reality, before he went back to holystoning the deck in earnest. Still, not even his ducked head could hide the blush that spread up to his ears.

They were mostly silent after that, with Wanda observing as he worked until the sky turned dark grey above them.

“How good are you in storms, lad,” she asked as the first raindrops started painting a pattern on her freshly cleaned deck and the first thunder rumbled in the distance.

“I can hold my own,” he stated indignantly, and Wanda nodded.

“This will be a rough one, if it gets to be too much for you, feel free to go below decks, just don’t throw up on my ship, savvy?”

Wanda almost winced at her little slip up, but she hoped he would take it as her ship in general, because she lived there, and as he got up and defiantly crossed his arms to show he could handle it, Wanda let out the breath she had been holding.

He hadn’t even noticed what she had said, too eager to prove his worth.

Vision’s courage was admirable, but Wanda knew he would cave in and hide before the storm passed. He wasn’t a man of the sea, that much was clear, and she was certain that Navy captains hid away in their cabins during storms like this one.

Vision held out longer than she would have guessed, but as the wind howled around them and the _Scarlet_ _Witch_ trashed wildly in the waves, he threw her an apologetic look and wobbled below decks. Wanda stayed above, her hair whipping her face as she breathed in the salty air. She was drenched already, but she loved the storms too much to care.

They were wild, like her, and no one could hope to escape their wrath.

Still, the morning light showed that this storm had been merciful, aided in part by her ship's sturdy build.

Wanda was overseeing some minor repairs from the quarterdeck the next day, dressed in her Captain’s clothes and her hair once again pinned up in a bun beneath her hat, when Thor joined her.

She smiled at him, leaning her hands on the railing before turning back towards the main deck.

“Rough night, Captain?” he asked loudly, clapping her on the shoulder as his voice boomed over the ship, and Wanda felt her breath catch in her throat.

Across the deck she saw Vision raise his head in bewilderment, eyes widening and darting between the two of them.

She sighed, letting her head drop.

Her cover was blown much sooner than she had wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scallywag - A scoundrel  
> Tankard - A cylindrical, single-handled drinking mug  
> Loaded to the gunwales - Drunk  
> Holystone - To scrub on one's knees, also the sandstone with which it is done  
> Gunwale - The elevated side edge of a boat, railing around the main deck  
> Letter of marque - A document given to a sailor giving him amnesty from piracy laws as long as the ships he plunders are of an enemy nation  
> Hardtack - Bread made from flour and water baked into a moisture-free rock to prevent spoilage  
> Savvy? - Understood?  
> Quarterdeck - Part of the upper deck of a ship


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short one this time, but I hope you enjoy.
> 
> Also, Vision is not THE brightest cookie in this one lol

Victor gasped as he heard that familiar voice refer to someone else as Captain.

Of course he couldn’t have found any similarities between Wanda and the man he had learned was called Thor, the man wasn’t her brother at all!

The similarity between Wanda and the real Captain, though, that similarity was uncanny.

There was only one possible explanation, and he couldn’t wait to share his previous misunderstanding with Wanda, hoping to make her laugh. It was still difficult for him to wrap his head around the fact that the giggle he heard had been _hers_ , but he supposed it did make more sense than it being a mermaid.

As much as he hoped to see Wanda soon, she wasn’t scheduled to watch him that day or the next, and every time he asked those who were when her next turn would be, he was met with nothing but an eye roll. Still, his pestering seemed to have worked, because she was there the next day, hair falling down her shoulders, and he was mesmerized for a moment by the way it danced on the slight breeze.

“I heard you were looking for me,” she said, her posture more uncertain than it had ever been, and Victor felt his face fall.

Of course.

She had more important things to do, she didn’t have time to keep him company, but she was the only pirate that actually treated him as a person, and he couldn’t help but seek out her company.

“I… I was. I like it when _you_ oversee my work. You’re nice to me, and, well, you won’t believe this but I had been blind. I saw your brother the other day, and it all makes much more sense now,” he said, to Wanda’s confused frown.

“It does?” she asked, blinking a couple of times, and Victor chuckled.

Of course she was confused, she had no idea he had believed _Thor_ was her brother.

“Yes. I had always assumed that Thor was the Captain, so I had been trying, and failing, to find any similarities between the two of you. But you and the Captain… you are almost a spitting image of each other. Are you twins?” he asked, frowning when Wanda winced.

“I am a twin,” she whispered, nodding slightly as her eyes stared far off into the distance. “I will always be a twin,” she added, voice stronger now.

Before Victor could say anything, she muttered something about having to take care of some urgent business and disappeared from his sight, leaving him sitting on his haunches in utter confusion.

Her odd behavior was soon forgotten and attributed to her having a bad day when she appeared two days later to oversee him again. She was smiling now, teasing him as he worked, and Victor had to remind himself countless times that this was bad, that he should want to escape this life.

She came to him quite often afterwards, even though he never saw her outside of her “babysitting” duties.

Even the rest of the crew started slowly warming up to him, but there was no one whose company he enjoyed quite like Wanda’s.

He stubbornly held on to his own name, at least in his thoughts, but it was easy to forget _why_ when she murmured “Vision” in that beautifully accented voice of hers.

Victor took every opportunity when Wanda wasn’t around to distract him to try and learn all he could about the way the ship was run, find anything that might help him get away.

The hierarchy wasn’t as strict as it was on a Navy ship, but some things were clear. The man who had interrogated him, Thor, was something akin to a First Mate on his ship. Despite the fact that Victor’s own experience with him differed greatly, Thor seemed to treat the rest of the crew fairly, and they respected and obeyed him in turn.

The Captain, though, the Captain was still an enigma. He was very silent, in fact, Victor didn’t think he had ever heard him talk, but his crew seemed to know exactly what he wanted. A nod from him was enough to send everyone on their way, preforming well-practiced tasks, and Victor couldn’t help but admire that kind of authority.

Still, the Captain didn’t quite fit the image he had of the Red Menace. He had yet to see him in battle, but he didn’t seem quite like the merciless, bloodthirsty monster the stories made him out to be. Even physically, he was nothing like Victor had imagined. He wasn’t as bulky as Thor, was clean-shaven every time he saw him, and Victor couldn’t help but be reminded of Wanda every time he accidentally met his gaze.

They might have been very similar physically, but while Wanda often kept him company, the Captain avoided him. It was to be expected, he supposed. The Captain didn’t trust him, and with good reason, but he at least slowly allowed him to have more responsibilities.

In fact, this was the first time he was allowed near the ship’s galley, where he was going to help with the cooking. It was to be his test of sorts and Vision did his best to fight his nerves. He had never cooked back at home, it was something their servants did, and on his ships there was always a cook for the officers.

Victor didn’t know whether to be relieved or even more tense when he noticed Wanda’s grinning face already waiting for him in the galley and chatting with Happy.

“W-Wanda,” he stammered, stopping in his tracks.

“I’m here to make sure you don’t poison us all with your cooking,” she teased, jumping up on a nearby crate.

Victor could do nothing but grin.

“Well, considering my _very_ limited experience, I might do it by accident.”

Wanda chuckled at that, a sound he still didn’t get used to hearing, and added: “it can’t be that bad.”

It was, in fact, worse.

Happy lost his patience with him numerous times when he added the wrong ingredients to the stew, and even Wanda let out a couple of horrified gasps when the amounts of spices he added weren’t just right.

“Scupper that! Seriously, Ca-uh, how can someone mess up the Solomon Grundy?” Happy grumbled, and Vision had to admit he didn’t live up to his name at all. “I don’t need this knave to give me even more work!”

“Of course,” Wanda smiled at the man apologetically, “looks like it’s back to holystoning the decks and scrubbing the pans for him.”

Victor sighed as he followed Wanda through the hatch and back above the decks again.

He was once again right where he began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Galley - The compartment of a ship where food is prepared  
> Scupper that! - Throw that overboard  
> Knave - A servant boy or a dishonorable man


	8. Chapter 8

Even after some time had passed Wanda still had trouble believing that Thor’s little slip up hadn’t cost her her disguise.

In fact, she couldn’t decide whether to be offended that Vision still couldn’t fathom the fact that a woman could be the Captain or relieved that she wasn’t ousted so early.

And when he unknowingly brought up Pietro…

When he asked her, all innocent-looking and excited, if she was a twin…

Wanda had wanted to scream, let the pain of losing him out, but she had maintained her composure until she reached her cabin. It was only there that she let herself fall apart, grief enveloping her just as strongly thirteen years after his death, until she slowly, carefully pieced herself back together.

It’s what Pietro would have wanted.

She owed it to him to be strong.

With her cover intact, Wanda continued to watch Vision every couple of days. While she was careful not to talk in front of him while in her regular clothes, unwilling to let him recognize her voice, she had no such qualms when wearing her disguise.

She still didn’t trust him, that would be reckless, but she had to admit Vision was growing on her. She fell into a teasing rapport with him automatically, almost instinctively, and she couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes shone every time he realized she would be the one to guard him. Wanda herself was starting to consider those couple of hours every few days a break from her usual responsibilities, a time to just relax and forget her worries for a while, focusing instead on figuring him out.

According to the word from her crew, Vision was slowly starting to fit in. He spent more time talking to them before bedtime, instead of being curled up by himself whenever he was free.

Wanda was pleased with the news, but she knew that the more he worked, the less time he would have to plan some shady business.

Still, her attempt to grant him more responsibilities by making him help Happy with cooking failed miserably. Happy was their main cook, but he often enlisted help from various members of the crew, and had, in his words, never seen someone with less talent for cooking than Vision.

“It’s like he’s never touched food in his life! Is he even human?” he joked the next day, bringing a meal for two into her cabin.

“No, he’s a bilge rat,” Thor laughed, following behind him.

Wanda chuckled, rolling her eyes as she invited him to sit.

Their latest loot was starting to run low, especially foodwise, and no one on the crew was really feeling like going back to salted jerky and hardtack. If they didn’t come across another ship soon, they’d have to dock and trade some of the treasure they’d picked up for supplies and possible information on upcoming shipments.

Besides, it was time to let their crew blow off some steam on Tortuga. Wanda herself couldn’t wait to pick a fight with some of the other “captains” at the _Faithful Bride_. As if. Those scoundrels didn’t deserve the title.

“Notify the crew to set sail for Tortuga,” she smiled, getting up from her chair and walking towards her whetstone collection.

Her daggers and swords need to be sharpened if they were to visit Tortuga. It was truly a lawless place, and, as fun as it could be, it was also dangerous.

Thor nodded, heading towards the exit before turning suddenly.

“Wanda,” he said gently, startling her. He hadn’t called her by her name since she became the Captain, and she frowned as she looked up at him.

“What’s wrong,” she asked, taking in his sad expression.

“You are not the prisoner here. He is,” Thor stated firmly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“What do you mean?” she inquired, confusion marring her face.

“You haven’t spoken in weeks while he’s on deck, not to mention that I haven’t seen you let your hair down once when you aren’t wearing your disguise. He’s not going anywhere, I’ll make sure of it if he even _thinks_ about escaping, so he won’t be able to identify you in front of the authorities or anyone else. It’s time for you to drop these self-imposed shackles and become our Captain again.”

Wanda felt as if she was struck by lightning, the truth in his words ringing in her ears.

He was right.

She had been holding herself back, forced to pretend in the one place she called home, with the people she called her family.

And all because of one man.

Besides, they had been laying low for too long. After they restocked on Tortuga, they would hopefully hear whispers of some more bounty. While her crew could handle themselves just fine in these quiet moments, her ship needed the Captain during the battles.

And a Captain was exactly what she was, what she’d always be.

“Thank you,” she whispered, pulling him into her embrace.

“Of course. I might be your second in command, but I am first and foremost your friend. And I am tired of seeing you like this.”

Wanda nodded against his shoulder before pulling away again.

She released her hair from its confines and took the Captain’s hat in her hand. Sharpening her weapons could wait.

“That’s my Captain,” Thor laughed, taking her appearance in.

Wanda could still feel his gaze on her back as she walked away from him, so she threw a wink at Thor over her shoulder before opening the double doors of her cabin.

She smirked as she felt her hair fly wildly in the wind.

No more secrets.


	9. Chapter 9

Victor couldn’t help but hum a quiet melody as he polished the railings near the bow of the ship.

He was with Hawkeye, who only watched him when he needed a break from his usual duties in the crow’s nest. Even now he was grumbling about how no one could spot a ship faster than he could, and Victor didn’t doubt it, but he knew that even a man like that needed to stretch his legs and talk to others once in a while.

He was just about to ask him what it was like to constantly see the world from up there when the doors of the Captain's quarters opened with a loud bang, startling him enough to drop his rag. To his surprise, the person that strutted out was Wanda.

“Set sail for Tortuga, ya scurvy bastards,” she shouted, to excited cheers from everyone on board.

Her hair looked even more vibrant than usual in the sunset, the red hue of it brighter than even the sky, but it wasn’t that what made him unable to take his eyes off her.

Somehow… somehow the whole air around her had changed. She was oozing confidence, authority, defiance, and it was as if she was a completely different person from the sailor he had gotten to know.

He took in her outfit and felt his breath catch in his throat.

It was undeniably one of the outfits he had seen the Captain wearing.

When had that happened?

Had Wanda staged a mutiny against her own brother?

Or was it possible that she had been the Captain all along and he had been too blind to see it?

Had she lied to him?

His musings were interrupted by Hawkeye's disgruntled: “hey! No slacking!”

“S-sorry,” Victor mumbled, picking up the rag he had dropped. “I was just startled. I wasn’t… what… what about her brother?”

Hawkeye frowned at him in confusion before following Victor's gaze towards Wanda and raising his eyebrow.

“Pietro? I’m pretty sure he danced the hempen jig more than 10 years ago, long before I met her,” he said, and at Victor’s confused look mimicked a noose around his neck.

Victor gasped, his eyes once again drawn to Wanda.

“Then Wanda…” he started, before being interrupted.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, that’s _Captain_ to you! Not even Thor gets to call her by her name,” Hawkeye insisted, and Victor nodded, gulping slowly.

That confirmed his suspicions.

She had been the Captain the whole time!

Looking back on it, it was so _obvious_.

The Captain’s constant silence, Wanda’s odd behavior whenever her brother came up in a conversation, the fact that they looked _identical_ …

How could he have been so blind?

He had lowered his defenses around her, but she had been spying on him the whole time, since the very beginning.

“Less standing around and more working,” Hawkeye grumbled, “you don’t want Thor’s wrath on you.”

“R-right,” Victor nodded, forcing himself to look away from Wanda. She met his gaze just as he was lowering it, and there was a fire in her eyes, a fire he couldn’t remember ever seeing there before.

The rest of his work was done with automatic, shaky movements as he did his best to come to terms with this new information.

She had misled him, yes, but she had also saved his life.

 _She_ was the one who had offered him the choice to join, the one who was willing to spend an hour in the brig just to get to know him.

Despite feeling grateful about the fact, he couldn’t stop the feelings of hurt and betrayal from sneaking up on him.

Wanda was the only pirate he had ever trusted, and he was under the impression that they had gotten quite close, but all of their interactions had been built on a lie.

Victor was uncertain of how he would react to seeing her again face to face, so the fact that she didn’t come to him for the next three days came as a sort of a relief.

She was still doing her duties as a Captain, and he often saw her around the ship, but she didn’t watch over him like she used to. And she hadn’t spoken to him since the day he realized who she truly was.

He had already started to believe that she’d never face him again when a shadow appeared in front of him and he heard Hope's surprised: “Captain?”

“Hope, Vision,” Wanda’s melodious voice made him raise his head to meet her gaze. It was almost unsettling how different she looked now that she wasn’t hiding her identity anymore, and yet, Victor found himself unable to look away.

“Would you like to take over,” Hope asked, but Wanda shook her head.

“No, but you can take a break,” she responded, the request for some privacy clear in her voice, and it was mere moments before they were alone again.

Silence stretched between them, until Victor couldn’t handle it anymore.

“So…” he started, not really certain what to say, before finally settling on: “I suppose I should call you Captain now.”

“I suppose,” she smiled slightly.

“Or would you prefer _Red Menace_ ,” Victor spat out, not quite able to stop himself.

It was still difficult to come to terms with the fact that the Red Menace - the Scourge of the Seven Seas, the most fearsome and ruthless pirate Captain - and Wanda - the stunning woman with hair like fire and the laughter of a mermaid - were the same person.

Wanda just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, looking down on him as he shifted into a more comfortable position. He had been frantically scrubbing the same spot on the deck ever since she had arrived, but he had needed something to occupy himself with.

“Do you have something to say to me,” she asked, face hard and a challenge in her voice.

There were many things he wanted to say, he knew he should thank her for saving his life, tell her he was sorry for her brother’s death, anything but the words that actually came out of his mouth.

“I _trusted_ you!”

“Oh, and _you_ weren’t planning to escape the first chance you got?” Wanda asked with a raised eyebrow.

It wasn’t a real question, she _knew_ she was right, and Victor could only gulp slowly.

“Why do you think no one knows who the Red Menace is? Why do all the flyers with bounties on my head have question marks instead of my face? It helps that most people can’t even _imagine_ I could be a woman, but it’s more than that. It’s because I make sure that everyone who does is either dead or a person I trust with my life. And they trust me with theirs. I will _always_ protect my crew. My family. My ship. And that is the reason you will never leave. You will _never_ get a chance to oust me. Every person on the _Scarlet Witch_ will make sure of it,” she promised.

There was so much passion in her voice, so much determination in her eyes, and all Victor could do was stare at her in silence.

Despite everything, he couldn’t help but admire her and all she had achieved in her mere 28 years of life. Her beliefs and actions might go against everything he stood for, but having her own ship, a fearsome reputation and undying loyalty of her crew was no small feat.

Wanda gave a small nod to Hope, a clear sign that this little “break” was over, before turning on her heel. Victor stared at her retreating form, but it still came as a surprise when she threw him a look over her shoulder, a wide grin on her face.

“Oh, and word of advice, sweetie. Never trust a pirate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bow - The front part of the ship


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter includes some blood and injury, I don't think it's very graphic, but be warned.

The Captain was in a bad mood.

She had been in a bad mood since her fight with that Vision boy, and when Wanda was in a bad mood, then Thor was in an even worse one.

He did his best not to take it out on the crew whenever there was the tiniest mishap, but the look in his eyes was enough for everyone to stay out of his way wherever he went.

He couldn’t _wait_ for them to reach Tortuga, his musket and cutlass simply itching for a fight, and fights were something Tortuga was never short of. All the grog and the short-tempered pirates in a small place guaranteed a good time. Well, for those who survived it at least.

Fate, however, seemed to have other plans.

While they were sailing for Tortuga in hopes of finding a bounty, judging by Hawkeye’s excited shout from the crow’s nest, the bounty found them first.

“Who is it?” Wanda asked, with an excited gleam in her eyes. Her hair was hidden under her hat already, but this time he had nothing against it. It wasn’t because of their prisoner, it was to mislead whoever was on that ship, and Thor grinned. Things were finally starting to go back to normal.

“It’s the Spanish, Captain!” Hawkeye informed them, quickly getting down from his position. “Merchant, by the looks of it. And _alone_.”

Thor was certain that Wanda’s wicked grin was mirrored on his own face. A merchant ship meant more spoils, and the fact that it wasn’t in a caravan made it an easier target. While it probably had some cannons, it was certainly no match for the _Scarlet Witch_.

“All hands on deck!” Wanda yelled, already on her way towards the helm, “we have some doubloons to plunder.”

Thor oversaw the buzzing of men and women from his own position at the bow, his eyes flying over the ship when he noticed the prisoner, looking at a loss of what to do now that everyone was preparing for battle.

That just wouldn’t do.

He strutted towards Vision, unable to hide the smirk at the look on his face when he snapped his fingers at two members of the crew.

“Away with him,” he commanded, to Vision’s wide eyes and protests.

“Wait! I’m a Commodore, I can help!” the man pleaded.

“Yes, or you could turn on us and cause mayhem on the Scarlet Witch while the Spanish are attacking from their ship.”

It was a risk he couldn’t afford to take.

“They’re not even British, why would I work to sink the ship I’m on, I can’t swim!” the prisoner reminded him, and Thor was silent for a few moments.

“Please, just let me talk to Wanda,” he pleaded, and it was enough for Thor to see red.

“I will not bother the Captain with the likes of you in the middle of a battle. Take him to the brig!” he insisted, and watched as Vision was led away.

Good.

They could all now focus on the upcoming battle without having to worry about him.

Thor looked up towards the horizon and grinned. They were gaining on their target fast, with the ship almost in reach of their chase guns.

“Steady… steady…” he demanded, not wishing to waste ammo until he was certain they could hit them. “Now!”

“Fire in the hole!” Rhodey warned, before the chase guns fired. One of the cannonballs went straight through the Captain’s cabin, while the others snapped some of the ropes on the mizzenmast.

Good.

That would slow them down even more.

Thor gave the order for the crew stationed at the chase guns to fire at will, weaken their target until Wanda could bring them in a more favorable position.

Their crew hardly needed to be told what to do, they were all hardened by battles against much stronger opponents.

Once they were close enough, the Captain made a well-practiced maneuver of turning the _Scarlet Witch_ so that the target’s stern was within reach of their main guns, while staying out of reach of everything but the enemy ship’s stern chase guns.

Being a merchant ship, their target had none.

The crew was firing at will, damaging the ship’s maneuverability and integrity, but their target eventually managed to turn its broadside and start firing back.

Even from his position at the bow, Thor could hear the Captain yell: “chain shots” and watched as the chained cannonballs broke the masts of the merchant ship.

Their target could barely move, but it didn’t surrender.

Instead, it kept firing.

Badly.

Thor laughed as another cannonball landed _next_ to the ship.

The merchant ship’s crew was full of horrible shots. It was clear that they had never actually _used_ their guns before, and while their ship was already almost ripe for boarding, the _Scarlet Witch_ had barely gained a scratch.

It was right at that moment that Thor felt the ship beneath him shake from a successful shot, and he rushed to the railing to assess the situation from above.

“Oh, scupper that!” Thor swore once he looked down and realized that the cannonball had hit close to the brig.

Wanda’s mood would certainly not improve if their prisoner went and got himself killed.

He rushed below deck, heading straight for the brig, and of course, of _course_ , the impact had to reach _his_ cell.

Vision was alive, at least, his face a grimace of pain as he clutched at his side. The cannonball had missed him, but Thor could see a couple of nasty looking splinters between his fingers.

He quickly unlocked the cell door and ripped at Vision’s clothes to get access to the wound. As far as Thor could see, he was hit only by larger splinters, easier to remove, but it would still hurt like hell.

He took out his flask, chugging some rum before offering it to Vision to dull the pain, but not even the alcohol was strong enough to stop the man’s yelp of pain when Thor poured a bit over his wound and took out the three pieces sticking out.

Finally, Thor cut off a piece of his own undershirt and tied it around Vision’s waist, doing his best to stop the bleeding.

“You’ll live, I found you in time,” he grumbled, before helping Vision on his feet. “Can you walk?”

He could see Vision gritting his teeth with every move, the look in his eyes hazy and unfocused, so he pushed his shoulder under the man’s arm and half-supported, half-dragged him away from the brig and towards the cots.

“Stay here, I’ll have someone look at your wound after we win,” Thor said, ready to go back on the main deck, when he heard Vision calling his name.

He turned back towards him, looking at him in surprise.

“You… you saved me,” Vision said, frowning slightly.

It was true, he probably would have bled out had they found him after the battle had ended, but he couldn’t have the little lordling going around believing him soft.

“Don’t let it get to your head. It’s what the Captain would have wanted,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders.

“Still… Thank you,” the prisoner whispered, his eyes already closing from exhaustion. Thor could only nod stiffly, before going back up to do his duty.

He took a look around himself and realized that the battle was as good as won already.

Half of their crew had already boarded the merchant ship, bringing back supplies and riches. What little resistance was left was quickly being taken care of, and Thor couldn’t help but mutter a curse.

He had missed out on all the fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cutlass - A short, heavy sword with a curved blade  
> Grog - A mixture of rum and water  
> Chase guns - Cannons at the front or back of the ship  
> Stern - The back of the ship  
> Chain shot - Two cannonballs chained together and aimed high in order to destroy masts and rigging


End file.
